Fun
- Artist: Xiyadie
- Date: 2001
- Medium: Paper
- Dimensions: support: 271 × 300 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Fun” by Xiyadie. The piece is a delicate paper cut from white xuanzhi, the same parchment used for Chinese calligraphy and ink‑wash painting. After the folds are cut, the artist hand‑paints the sections with bright food colouring—coloring traditionally used on the fillings of steamed bao buns that line street stalls across China.
On the surface it looks like a conventional Chinese red papercut, with stylised plants and animals set against a white background. But Xiyadie subverts that expectation: the shapes disguise intimate scenes between men. One panel suggests a flower that actually shows buttocks and genitalia, another depicts two nude men on a bicycle surrounded by a fantastical garden.
These works are part of a broader series where Xiyadie uses the quiet, domestic art of papercutting as a “trojan horse,” quietly revealing queer relationships that have historically faced discrimination. The playful title “Fun” masks the deeper commentary on intimacy, identity, and the resilience of tradition.
See it in person
Fun is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
